NBC News correspondent Lindsey Reiser traveled to Great Britain to cover Queen Elizabeth II’s death and funeral. In a series of photos and videos, she brings us a behind-the-scenes look at the remembrance.
Friday, September 9, 2022
Upon landing at Heathrow Airport Friday morning, the tributes were already pouring in. In fact, the pilot on my flight made an announcement letting everyone know the queen had passed before we landed.
By Friday night, crowds were appearing in large numbers outside Buckingham Palace, laying flowers and lighting candles. People told us they would never see another queen in their lifetimes.
One note said, “We all feel we’ve lost our Nana.”
Saturday, September 10, 2022
Tributes on Saturday continued to pour in. We spent the day talking to people from around the world about Her Majesty’s lasting and global impact. Many people living in Britain told us they most appreciated her sense of duty and that it felt like a patriotic moment.
I caught video of the crowd greeting King Charles III outside Buckingham Palace. In addition to laying flowers, many people waited by the barricades hoping to catch a glimpse of His Majesty. Some even corrected themselves in our interviews, because they are so used to saying Prince Charles.
This shows just a fraction of the flowers laid for Her Majesty. One woman told us she couldn’t find any flowers left so she brought a cactus and hoped the queen would get a laugh out of it.
Monday, September 12, 2022
On Monday evening we visited a 78-year-old woman in Wembley named Margaret Tyler. She’s been called “the queen’s biggest fan,” and has collected more than 10,000 pieces of royal China and other mementos. She was actually too sad to leave her home and join the remembrances but was going to watch the processions on TV.
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
On Wednesday, the day of the solemn procession of Her Majesty’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, throngs of people took to the streets for a chance to see the late queen and the royal family.
You couldn’t see much near Westminster Abbey, but you could hear the marching band.
Messages and flowers to the queen.
This is a line of people along the River Thames waiting to see the queen lying in state at Westminster Hall on Wednesday. The lines were allowed to enter at 5 p.m. BST. People told us they wanted to be a part of history; others said they felt they had lost a family member.
Thursday September 15, 2022
On Thursday, we interviewed two women who were already camping out for the funeral outside Westminster Abbey Monday. They told us it was important for them to witness this moment in person, because it doesn’t feel real when they watch it on TV.
Monday, September 19, 2022
On Saturday, we went back to Buckingham Palace. This mother traveled 50 miles to bring her children to witness history. They were going to return the day of the funeral as well.
On Monday, hundreds of people gathered in Hyde Park to watch the queen’s funeral on big screens.
Thousands of people ended up coming to Hyde Park; gates opened at 6 a.m. BST and many stayed until the very end. Jill Wilson of Surrey brought a large Paddington bear, an homage to the queen’s memorable skit with the character for her Platinum Jubilee.
It was a sight to see so many people descending on the streets of Central London to pay their respects and say one final goodbye to their reigning queen for the last 70 years.
